Yesterday's Post

OK, I didn't manage to post a blog entry yesterday because there was no internet connection. We have now moved a little further down the canal to Crinan where we await our exit from the canal and I have a connection here. Here is a post for yesterday:

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We left Portavadie at 0810 this morning, once Roger had negotiated a zero fee marina charge on account of our fund raising efforts – thank you Portavadie Marina, all good things for you!

We motored against the wind which again came form the usual direction (the one we were going in) and entered Crinan Canal as the sun came to life. The first (sea)lock was manned and we paid a reduced fee again which was really appreciated – thank you Crinan Canal. Unlike our previous passage through the canal the other locks were not manned and so the crew were put to work (they said they enjoyed it!). Half way along the canal we decided that we should try to fix our headsail furler problem and so we needed someone to go up the mast. It was decided, by lack of volunteers and by lack of protest, that the someone should be Roger. Up he was winched by the rest of us, with his WD40 in hand! A good squirt later and our furler was working again. Great! I was beginning to think we may not be able to sail until a rigger has looked at the problem. Fortunately we fixed it ourselves.

Just as we were approaching Crinan the canal staff informed us that we could go no further as they were knocking off and so the bridges that separated us from Crinan could not be swung until tomorrow. Drat! Never mind, we are tied up in a pretty place, have eaten Dave’s sausage and mash dinner, and have a 30 min walk to the pub at Crinan (if we wanted to visit it; I’m not saying we are going to).

Joke:

 A newcomer to Scotland arrives on a rainy day. She gets up the next day and it's raining. It also rains the day after that, and the day after that. She goes out to lunch and sees a young kid and out of despair asks, "Hey, kid, does it ever stop raining around here?" The kid says, "How should I know?
I'm only 6." 

No canal staff, so yacht crew had to work the locks!

The swing bridge staff had finished work, so we could get no further until morning!

A dodgy character at the bar where we were thinking of having a drink.